Psalm 139-144
New American Standard Bible
God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
139 Lord, You have (A)searched me and known me.
2 You (B)know [a]when I sit down and [b]when I get up;
You (C)understand my thought from far away.
3 You [c](D)scrutinize my [d]path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 [e]Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, Lord, You (E)know it all.
5 You have (F)encircled me behind and in front,
And (G)placed Your hand upon me.
6 Such (H)knowledge is (I)too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot comprehend it.
7 (J)Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 (K)If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in [f]Sheol, behold, (L)You are there.
9 If I take up the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will (M)lead me,
And Your right hand will take hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the (N)darkness will [g]overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12 Even (O)darkness is not dark [h]to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
(P)Darkness and light are alike to You.
13 For You (Q)created my innermost parts;
You (R)wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, because [i]I am awesomely and wonderfully made;
(S)Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My [j](T)frame was not hidden from You
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully formed in the (U)depths of the earth;
16 Your (V)eyes have seen my formless substance;
And in (W)Your book were written
All the (X)days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.
17 How precious also are Your (Y)thoughts for me, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would (Z)outnumber the sand.
When (AA)I awake, I am still with You.
19 If only You would (AB)put the wicked to death, God;
(AC)Leave me, (AD)you men of bloodshed.
20 For they (AE)speak [k]against You wickedly,
And Your enemies [l](AF)take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not (AG)hate those who hate You, Lord?
And do I not (AH)loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.
23 (AI)Search me, God, and know my heart;
(AJ)Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there is any [m](AK)hurtful way in me,
And (AL)lead me in the (AM)everlasting way.
Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
140 (AN)Rescue me, Lord, from evil people;
Protect me from (AO)violent men
2 Who (AP)devise evil things in their hearts;
They (AQ)continually stir up wars.
3 They (AR)sharpen their tongues like a snake;
(AS)The venom of a viper is under their lips. Selah
4 (AT)Keep me, Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
(AU)Protect me from violent men
Who [n]intend to [o](AV)trip up my feet.
5 The proud have (AW)hidden a trap for me, and snares;
They have spread a (AX)net at the [p]wayside;
They have set (AY)snares for me. Selah
6 I (AZ)said to the Lord, “You are my God;
(BA)Listen, Lord, to the (BB)sound of my pleadings.
7 [q]God the Lord, (BC)the strength of my salvation,
You have (BD)covered my head on the day of [r]battle.
8 Do not grant, Lord, the (BE)desires of the wicked;
Do not bring about (BF)his evil planning, so that they are not exalted. Selah
9 “As for the head of those who surround me,
May the (BG)harm of their lips cover them.
10 May (BH)burning coals fall upon them;
May they be (BI)cast into the fire,
Into bottomless pits from which they (BJ)cannot rise.
11 May a [s]slanderer not endure on the earth;
(BK)May evil hunt a violent person [t]violently.”
12 I know that the Lord will (BL)maintain the cause of the afflicted,
And (BM)justice for the poor.
13 Certainly the (BN)righteous will give thanks to Your name;
The (BO)upright will dwell in Your presence.
An Evening Prayer for Sanctification and Protection.
A Psalm of David.
141 Lord, I call upon You; (BP)hurry to me!
(BQ)Listen to my voice when I call to You!
2 May my prayer be [u]counted as (BR)incense before You;
The (BS)raising of my hands as the (BT)evening offering.
3 Set a (BU)guard, Lord, [v]over my mouth;
Keep watch over the (BV)door of my lips.
4 (BW)Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice deeds [w]of wickedness
With people who (BX)do wrong;
And (BY)may I not taste their delicacies.
5 May the (BZ)righteous strike me with mercy and discipline me;
It is (CA)oil for the head;
My head shall not refuse it,
For my prayer (CB)is still against their evil deeds.
6 Their judges are (CC)thrown down by the sides of the rock,
And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one (CD)plows and breaks open the earth,
Our (CE)bones have been scattered at the (CF)mouth of [x]Sheol.
8 For my (CG)eyes are toward You, [y]God, the Lord;
In You I (CH)take refuge; (CI)do not [z]leave me defenseless.
9 Keep me from the [aa](CJ)jaws of the trap which they have set for me,
And from the (CK)snares of those who do wrong.
10 May the wicked (CL)fall into their own nets,
While I pass by [ab](CM)safely.
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
[ac]Maskil of David, when he was [ad]in the cave. A Prayer.
142 I (CN)cry out with my voice to the Lord;
With my voice I (CO)implore the Lord for compassion.
2 I (CP)pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare my (CQ)trouble before Him.
3 When (CR)my spirit felt weak within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have (CS)hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see;
For there is (CT)no one who regards me favorably;
[ae]There is no (CU)escape for me;
(CV)No one cares for my soul.
5 I cried out to You, Lord;
I said, “You are (CW)my refuge,
My (CX)portion in the (CY)land of the living.
6 (CZ)Give Your attention to my cry,
For I have been (DA)brought very low;
Rescue me from my persecutors,
For they are too (DB)strong for me.
7 (DC)Bring my soul out of prison,
So that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me,
For You will (DD)look after me.”
Prayer for Help and Guidance.
A Psalm of David.
143 Hear my prayer, Lord,
(DE)Listen to my pleadings!
Answer me in Your (DF)faithfulness, in Your (DG)righteousness!
2 And (DH)do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For (DI)no person living is righteous in Your sight.
3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life (DJ)to the ground;
He (DK)has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead.
4 Therefore (DL)my spirit [af]feels weak within me;
My heart is [ag](DM)appalled within me.
5 I (DN)remember the days of old;
I (DO)meditate on all Your accomplishments;
I (DP)reflect on the work of Your hands.
6 I (DQ)spread out my hands to You;
My (DR)soul longs for You, like a weary land. Selah
7 (DS)Answer me quickly, Lord, my (DT)spirit fails;
(DU)Do not hide Your face from me,
Or I will be the same as (DV)those who go down to the pit.
8 Let me hear Your (DW)faithfulness (DX)in the morning,
For I trust (DY)in You;
Teach me the (DZ)way in which I should walk;
For to You I (EA)lift up my soul.
9 (EB)Save me, Lord, from my enemies;
[ah]I take refuge in You.
10 (EC)Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Let (ED)Your good Spirit (EE)lead me on level [ai]ground.
11 (EF)For the sake of Your name, Lord, (EG)revive me.
(EH)In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.
12 And in Your faithfulness, [aj](EI)destroy my enemies,
And (EJ)eliminate all those who attack my soul,
For (EK)I am Your servant.
Prayer for Rescue and Prosperity.
A Psalm of David.
144 Blessed be the Lord, (EL)my rock,
Who (EM)trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle;
2 My faithfulness and (EN)my fortress,
My (EO)stronghold and my savior,
My (EP)shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who (EQ)subdues [ak]my people under me.
3 Lord, (ER)what is man, that You look after him?
Or a son of man, that You think of him?
4 (ES)Man is like the breath;
His (ET)days are like a passing shadow.
5 (EU)Bend down Your heavens, Lord, and (EV)come down;
(EW)Touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
6 Flash forth (EX)lightning and scatter them;
Send out Your (EY)arrows and confuse them.
7 Reach out with Your hand (EZ)from on high;
Rescue me and (FA)save me from great waters,
From the hand of (FB)foreigners
8 Whose mouths (FC)speak deceit,
And whose (FD)right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 God, I will sing a (FE)new song to You;
On a (FF)harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 Who (FG)gives salvation to kings,
Who (FH)rescues His servant David from the evil sword.
11 Rescue me and save me from the hand of (FI)foreigners,
Whose mouth (FJ)speaks deceit
And whose (FK)right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12 When our sons in their youth are like (FL)growing plants,
And our daughters like (FM)corner pillars [al]fashioned for a palace,
13 Our (FN)granaries are full, providing every kind of produce,
And our flocks deliver thousands and ten thousands in our [am]fields;
14 May our (FO)cattle [an]be bred
Without [ao](FP)mishap and without [ap](FQ)loss,
May there be no (FR)outcry in our streets!
15 Blessed are the people who are so situated;
(FS)Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
Footnotes
- Psalm 139:2 Lit my sitting
- Psalm 139:2 Lit my rising
- Psalm 139:3 Lit winnow
- Psalm 139:3 Or journeying
- Psalm 139:4 Lit For there is not
- Psalm 139:8 I.e., the netherworld
- Psalm 139:11 Lit bruise; some commentators cover
- Psalm 139:12 Lit from
- Psalm 139:14 Some ancient versions You are fearfully wonderful
- Psalm 139:15 Lit bones were
- Psalm 139:20 Or of
- Psalm 139:20 Some mss lift themselves up against You
- Psalm 139:24 Lit way of pain
- Psalm 140:4 Or devise
- Psalm 140:4 Lit push
- Psalm 140:5 Lit track
- Psalm 140:7 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Psalm 140:7 Lit weapons
- Psalm 140:11 Lit man of tongue
- Psalm 140:11 Lit blow upon blow
- Psalm 141:2 Lit fixed
- Psalm 141:3 Lit to
- Psalm 141:4 Lit in
- Psalm 141:7 I.e., the netherworld
- Psalm 141:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Psalm 141:8 Lit pour out my soul
- Psalm 141:9 Lit hands of the trap
- Psalm 141:10 Lit altogether
- Psalm 142 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
- Psalm 142 Title 1 Sam 22:1; 24:3
- Psalm 142:4 Lit Escape has perished from me
- Psalm 143:4 Or faints within
- Psalm 143:4 Or desolate
- Psalm 143:9 Lit To You have I hidden
- Psalm 143:10 Lit land
- Psalm 143:12 Or silence
- Psalm 144:2 Another reading is peoples
- Psalm 144:12 Lit cut after the pattern of
- Psalm 144:13 Lit outside
- Psalm 144:14 Lit be laden
- Psalm 144:14 Lit breach
- Psalm 144:14 Lit going out; i.e., miscarriage
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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